Computer-generated image of aurora in California falsely shared as Norway solar storm

Facebook users have shared a computer-generated image of a vibrant multi-colour sky over Santa Barbara, California thousands of times in posts falsely claiming it shows the northern lights seen from Norway. The claim circulated after a powerful solar storm triggered the sighting of auroras around the world in May 2024.

The photo -- shared more than 1,500 times -- appears to show a dazzling display of pink and purple streaks lighting up the sky.

Solar storms are caused by violent eruptions on the Sun's surface that shoot out electromagnetic rays. These can cause powerful geomagnetic storms that affect the Earth's magnetic field, disrupting telecommunications and electricity grids (archived link). The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on May 10, 2024 triggering auroras sightings from Tasmania to Britain. The auroras, which are usually seen in the Earth's poles, strayed as far as Mexico, southern Europe and South Africa, delighting sky gazers with exuberant pinks, greens and purples.

However, the image -- shared alongside a similar claim here, here, and here -- predates the celestial event by more than a month. A reverse image search and keyword search on Google found the photo was taken from a computer-generated video published on Instagram by an account called Alpine_manor on April 7, 2024 (archived link).